Bridge Michigan’s publisher, the Center for Michigan, releases annual report
- The Center for Michigan’s annual report is available for the public to view and download
- The Center is the nonprofit publisher of Bridge Michigan and BridgeDetroit
- The 32-page report includes major donors, readership information and major initiatives
The Center for Michigan, publisher of Bridge Michigan and BridgeDetroit, has released the annual report for 2023.
The 32-page report provides information about revenue, readership, community engagement, reporting achievements and staff changes.
The report shows The Center for Michigan raised over $1 million in individual contributions of less than $1,000 each from nearly 9,000 donors in 2023.
The report lists major philanthropic donors and — in an effort to be transparent and accountable — individuals and groups who give more than $1,000 per year.
Included in the report is the Center’s statement of values, created in 2022.
Among those values is building an engaged civic community. More than 900 people participated in Bridge’s series of Lunch Break events in 2023, which covered topics ranging from gun violence to legislative water priorities.
Another 2023 highlight was the launch of the Sunshine Campaign. It’s a multi-year effort to build a dedicated fund to support “transparency, investigations, Freedom of Information costs and hurdles, and associated legal challenges.”
The annual report also details a year of transition at Bridge Michigan, including the retirements of senior editor David Zeman and publisher John Bebow and Joel Kurth’s promotion to executive editor of impact and enterprise.
“What hasn’t changed is our mission to make Michigan better through high-quality, nonpartisan journalism and engagement. And our commitment to doing so in a way that will ensure we continue to offer this public service to Michigan for many years to come,” said Katy Locker, chief executive officer of the Center.
“As we emerge from this year of transition, we look forward to working as a new leadership team to envision continued growth, evolution and impact for the organization — all while we continue to build upon our legacy of producing high-quality, impactful journalism for the people of Michigan.”
BridgeDetroit has also experienced some significant changes and growth. Founding editor Catherine Kelly departed in 2023, and in January, Laurén Abdel-Razzaq joined as executive director.
BridgeDetroit raised over $56,000 in individual donations in 2023. Newsletter subscribers have grown by 45% and unique visitors by 123%.
The full annual report can be found here.
See what new members are saying about why they donated to Bridge Michigan:
- “In order for this information to be accurate and unbiased it must be underwritten by its readers, not by special interests.” - Larry S.
- “Not many other media sources report on the topics Bridge does.” - Susan B.
- “Your journalism is outstanding and rare these days.” - Mark S.
If you want to ensure the future of nonpartisan, nonprofit Michigan journalism, please become a member today. You, too, will be asked why you donated and maybe we'll feature your quote next time!